Filey MP Says A64 Facing Tough Fight for Finance

Filey’s MP says he is expecting a decision on dualling the A64 this year but that it is not a foregone conclusion that the scheme will go ahead.

Kevin Hollinrake says the scheme to dual a section between York and Barton le Willows is facing tough competition for funding from schemes elsewhere in the country.

Weeks after an expected announcement in the Budget failed to materialise, Mr Hollinrake told councillors, who have been campaigning for a major upgrade to the A64 for decades, it was by no means certain the Government would approve the bid to dual the A64 from Hopgrove to Barton Le Willows.

He told a meeting of North Yorkshire Council’s Thirsk and Malton constituency committee the bid was “on a knife-edge”, but National Highways was now looking beyond factors such as population density.

Filey’s MP says continued pressure is required to help try and push the scheme over the line.

Mr Hollinrake said while the Government used to just look at “economic value”, such as the value of jobs that would be created, the current Government had put in “a social context” to where money was spent, taking into consideration priorities such as Levelling Up.